From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing Red comes a thrilling tale of psychological suspense about a woman haunted by her past and caught in a nightmare that threatens to destroy her future. For Paris Gibson, her popular late-night radio drama is both an escape and her one real contact with the outside world. To her loyal listeners, she is a wise and trusted friend who not only takes their requests but listens to their problems and occasionally dispenses advice. Paris’s world of isolation is shattered when one listener—a man who identifies himself only as “Valentino”—tells her that the girl he loves jilted him because of Paris’s on-air advice. Now he intends to exact his revenge: first he plans to kill the girl—then he will come after Paris. Joined by the Austin police department, Paris plunges into a race-against-time thrill ride to find Valentino before he can carry out his threat. To her dismay, she finds that she must now work with crime psychologist Dean Malloy, a man with whom she shares a history. His presence arouses old passions, forcing Paris to confront painful memories that she had come to Austin to forget. As the clock ticks down and Valentino’s threats come closer to becoming reality, Paris finds herself forced to deal with a killer who may not be a stranger at all. Tense and compelling right up to the chilling climax, Hello, Darkness is suspense at its very best, by the author USA TODAY dubbed “a masterful storyteller, carefully crafting tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats.” "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" Fascinating....Will keep you up past your bedtime. "The Early Show, " CBS A gripping story of abduction, betrayal, and murder that could have been ripped straight from the headlines. Sandra Brown is the author of seventy-three New York Times bestsellers. She has published over eighty novels and has upwards of eighty million copies of her books in print worldwide. Her work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Four books have been adapted for film. She lives in Texas. Hello, Darkness chapter 1 Dean Malloy eased himself off the bed. Groping in darkness, he located his underwear on the floor and took it with him into the bathroom. As quietly as he could, he closed the door before switching on the light. Liz woke up anyway. “Dean?” He braced his arms on the edge of the basin and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Be right out.” His image gazed back at him, whether with despair or disgust, he couldn’t quite tell. Reproach, at the very least. He continued staring at himself for another few seconds before turning on the faucet and splashing cold water over his face. He used the toilet, pulled on his boxers, and opened the door. Liz had turned on the nightstand lamp and was propped up on one elbow. Her pale hair was tangled. There was a smudge of mascara beneath her eye. But somehow she made deshabille look fetching. “Are you going to shower?” He shook his head. “Not now.” “I’ll wash your back.” “Thanks, but—” “Your front?” He shot her a smile. “I’ll take a rain check.” His trousers were draped over the armchair. When he reached for them, Liz flopped back against the heaped pillows. “You’re leaving.” “Much as I’d like to stay, Liz.” “You haven’t spent a full night in weeks.” “I don’t like it any better than you do, but for the time being that’s the way it’s got to be.” “Good grief, Dean. He’s sixteen.” “Right. Sixteen. If he were a baby, I’d know where he was at all times. I’d know what he was doing and who he was with. But Gavin is sixteen and licensed to drive. For a parent, that’s a twenty-four-hour living nightmare.” “He probably won’t even be there when you get home.” “He’d better be there,” he muttered as he tucked in his shirttail. “He broke curfew last night, so I grounded him this morning. Restricted him to the house.” “For how long?” “Until he cleans up his act.” “What if he doesn’t?” “Stay in the house?” “Clean up his act.” That was a much weightier question. It required a more complicated answer, which he didn’t have time for tonight. He pushed his feet into his shoes, then sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her hand. “It’s unfair that Gavin’s behavior is dictating your future.” “Our future.” “Our future,” he corrected softly. “It’s unfair as hell. Because of him our plans have been put on indefinite hold, and that stinks.” She kissed the back of his hand as she looked up at him through her lashes. “I can’t even persuade you to spend the night with me, and here I was hoping that by Christmas we’d be married.” “It could happen. The situation could improve sooner than we think.” She didn’t share his optimism, and her frown said as much. “I’ve been patient, Dean. Haven’t I?” “You have.” “In the two years we’ve been together, I think I’ve been more than accommodating. I relocated here without a quibble. And even though it would have made more sense for